A DARK twist has emerged in the already sordid celebrity nude photo saga with images constituting child pornography believed to be among the leaks.

Reddit users sharing photos of 18-year-old American gymnast McKayla Maroney, allegedly taken when she was underage, have been ordered to remove the images and warned they could be considered child porn, the Daily Dot reports.

The Olympian has denied the images are genuine, but Reddit administrators aren’t taking any risks and instructing moderators of the #CelebGate group to take the pictures down.

US actor Liz Lee, who was not included in the leaks, has also become embroiled in the scandal with the leaks inspiring Reddit users to share pictures of her allegedly taken by an ex-boyfriend in 2007 when she was only 16.

Jennifer Lawrence and Rihanna are among high-profile victims of the leaks.Source:AFP

Reddit sent a message to users stating: “Effective immediately: any images/galleries/torrents/megadumps etc containing McKayla Maroney or Liz Lee will be removed due to the fact that they were underage (

Maroney, who reached global fame during the 2012 Olympics with her “unimpressed face” becoming an internet sensation, is said to be furious about the images being leaked and took to Twitter saying they were fake.

the fake photos of me are crazy!! was trying to rise above it all, and not give "the creator" the time of day.. BUT.. pic.twitter.com/hceQcOxYkJ

“Every person is entitled to their own privacy. I am saddened that something like this has happened and I hope it never happens again,” teammate Aly Raisman said on Twitter.

The gymnast is among scores of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and model Kate Upton, whose pictures were allegedly stolen with hundreds of nude pictures leaked sending shock waves through Hollywood and the computer security community.